ROOTS, INC. Brings Dictionaries and the Art of Storyingtelling

Regenerating Our Offspring Through Stories, Inc. (ROOTS) distributed 50 dictionaries to third grade students in Pennypacker School in Philadelphia, PA. ROOTS is an organization founded on the preservation of knowledge, wisdom and customs from traditional African village griots. Its aim is to share these traditions and customs through storytelling in U.S. communities, libraries and schools. ROOTS strives “to connect our past to the present and encourage teachers and librarians to use the art of storytelling to reach the various types of learners in a multicultural society.” President and founder of Roots, Inc., Joann Frasier-Dasent, dedicated the dictionaries to Annie O. Plummer. The idea for The Dictionary Project began in 1992 when Annie Plummer of Savannah, Georgia, gave 50 dictionaries to children who attended a school close to her home. Each year she continued to give this gift, raising money to help give more and more books so that in her lifetime she raised enough money to buy 17,000 dictionaries for children in Savannah. You can read more about the history of The Dictionary Project Here. Following in the spirit of Annie O. Plummer, ROOTS funded the project with donations from family and friends. This year, new principal of Pennypacker School, Micelle Lutz, accepted the dictionary donation on behalf of the third grade students. “She made the distribution of dictionaries a memorable moment for the students,” said Fasier-Dasent. In addition to the dictionary donation, two-third graders will win a $50.00 gift certificate if they learn how to spell the word: SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS by the end of the school year. Being able to read and write helps students learn about other cultures and “appreciate and grow in their culture.” Understanding the meaning of words allows students to better understand the stories being told. Read more about ROOTS INC.